And were some kind of philanthropic brotherhood? One-Eye muttered.

We never kill nobody who dont ask for it. Come on. Lets do it. And be ready for anything. Both of you.

But first we went up to the battlements, both so I could see this world by daylight and so the Nar at the North Gate could see me looking sick before I presented myself that way.

The water level was just eight feet below the ramparts, higher than Hong Trays prediction. Any flooding inside?

Mogaba sealed the gates somehow. He has Jaicuri working parties bucket-brigading what seepage there is.

Good for him. How about down below?

Theres some seepage in the catacombs. Not a lot. We could keep up by hauling it up in buckets.

I grunted. I stared at Shadowspinners lake. I saw more corpses than I could count. Those didnt float up from the mounds, did they?

Goblin told me, Mogaba threw people off the wall during the riots. And some might be from rafts that turned over or broke up.

I squinted. I could just make out a mounted patrol beyond the water. A raft with Jaicuri piled high had been caught by daylight. The people aboard were trying to move away from the waiting patrol by paddling with their hands.

Thai Dei turned up so we knew his people were watching. I figured he would want me to visit the Speaker. But he said nothing. I told my bearers, Take me to his worship.

As we approached I observed, The citadel looks like something out of a spook story. And it did, with the sky overcast behind it and crows swarming around. Dejagore was a paradise for crows. They were going to get too fat to fly. Maybe we would get fat eating them.

The Nar at the entrance would not let One-Eye and Goblin inside. So take me home, I told them.

Wait!

Stick it, buddy. I got no need to put up with Mogabas crap. The Lieutenant is alive. So is the Captain, probably. Mogaba aint shit nowhere but inside his own head anymore.

You could have at least argued until we were rested up.

One-Eye started shuffling sideways so he could turn and head back down the steps.

Ochiba caught us before we reached street level. He was cast in the same mold as all Nar. His face remained neutral. Apologies, Standardbearer. Wont you reconsider?

Reconsider what? I dont especially want to see Mogaba. Hes been eating magic mushrooms or chewing lucky weed or something. I been shitting my guts out for over a week. I aint in no shape to play games with no homicidal lunatic.

Something fluttered behind Ochibas dark eyes. Maybe he agreed. Maybe there was another war going on inside him, a struggle between keeping faith with Gea-Xles greatest Nar ever and keeping faith with his own humanity.